"There are few dishes we associate more with our childhood than mashed potatoes. There is probably no-one who has never pressed a depression for the fine meat sauce into the soft potato mixture with a spoon in great anticipation of the pleasure to come. As delicious as mashed potatoes can be, there is probably no other preparation that produces such huge differences in quality. From the tasteless and contourless mass, made from dry flakes and hot water, to the ultra-fine, creamy and buttery puree. While one leads to potato hell, the other catapults you straight to heaven. Don't worry: you don't need a brazen potato/butter ratio of 1:1 to make a wonderful mash.

The most important thing is the choice of potatoes. For my dream mashed potatoes, I always use the La Ratte variety with its soft, buttery texture and mild, nutty flavour. Use 1kg of this delicious potato for 4 portions. All the tubers should be about the same size. Wash and peel them and put them in 2 litres of water - it should be 2-3 cm above the top layer of potatoes. Then add 1 tbsp of salt and cook the potatoes for about 25 minutes. My tip: pierce a potato with a knife and lift it out of the water. When it falls back into the water by itself, the cooking time is over. Alternatively, you can also cook the potatoes in a steamer.

Now is the time to peel the potatoes while they are still hot. Allow them to evaporate a little and immediately press them through a potato ricer or a passevite. Do not use a blender under any circumstances, as this will result in an irrecoverable mush. Then return the riced potatoes to the warm pan. Stir them continuously over a medium heat for about 5 minutes to dry out the puree a little. Then pour a dash of water into a small pan and pour it off, but without wiping the pan dry. Now add 250 ml milk and bring to the boil.

Now reduce the heat under the potatoes to the minimum and stir in 350 g of very cold butter in nut-sized pieces, one at a time. Stir constantly to create a silky, shiny mixture. Then stir in the hot milk in a thin stream, still on a low heat. As soon as all the milk has been absorbed, remove from the heat, season with white pepper and salt and, if you like, add a touch of nutmeg.

For an even finer consistency, pass the mashed potatoes through a fine sieve before serving."